Football
Reuters 19y

UPDATE 1-Soccer-Celtic suffer Champions League embarrassment

(Adds Strachan quote, later games)

By Bill Barclay

LONDON, July 27 - Gordon Strachan was humiliated
in his first game as Celtic manager when his team lost 5-0 at
Artmedia Petrzalka of Slovakia in the first leg of their
Champions League second qualifying round tie on Wednesday.

The result, one of the worst in the Scottish club's history,
left Celtic facing another costly exit from Europe's most
lucrative club competition in which they have consistently
under-performed in recent seasons.

The 1967 European champions fell behind just before halftime
when Juraj Halenar, who went on to complete a hat-trick, put
Artmedia in front.

In the second half the Slovakian side ran riot, scoring
further goals through Blazej Vascak, Halenar (twice) and Martin
Mikulic.

The pick of the goals was Halenar's second, a superb volley
straight from a corner, and Celtic's misery was compounded by a
suspected cheekbone fracture suffered by striker Chris Sutton.

"I'm still in shock," former Southampton manager Strachan
was quoted as saying by the BBC. "None of those players will
ever forget that performance.

"Embarrassment is the strongest emotion right now and it's
difficult to look anyone in the eye."

Shelbourne held Romania's Steaua Bucharest, the 1986
European champions, 0-0 in Ireland.

Goalkeeper Dean Delaney was in fine form and midfielder
Ollie Cahill said: "It probably wasn't a great game to watch but
that's what European matches are all about. We're very happy and
it sets us up for next week."

DUDELANGE THRASHED

Serbian striker Igor Bogdanovic scored twice as Hungarian
champions Debrecen upset Croatia's Hajduk Split 3-0.

The Serbian forward scored with headers in the 26th and 38th
minutes and the visitors were unable to recover. Hungary striker
Zsombor Kerekes added the third in the 58th minute.

A fine individual goal from Obiora Odita gave Serbia and
Montenegro champions Partizan Belgrade a 1-0 win over Moldovan
side Sherif Tiraspol.

The Nigerian striker took the ball in his stride just
outside the penalty area and rifled a half-volley on the turn
into the far corner past Sherif goalkeeper Sebastian Hutan.

Luxembourg's F91 Dudelange suffered a 6-1 thrashing at home
by Austria's Rapid Vienna, effectively ending their hopes of
reaching the third qualifying round. Muhammet Akagunduz scored a
hat-trick for Rapid.

Dudelange had become the first team from Luxembourg to win a
tie in Europe's elite club competition for 42 years when they
upset Bosnian champions HSK Zrinjski in the first qualifying
round.

Russian league leaders Lokomotiv Moscow drew 1-1 at
Macedonia's Rabotnicki Skopje while Swedish side Malmo, the 1979
European Cup runners-up, edged Israeli visitors Maccabi Haifa
3-2.

Bulgaria's CSKA Sofia were 2-0 winners in Albania against SK
Tirana.

The second legs take place on August 2 and 3, after the draw
for the third qualifying round, which will be made on Friday.

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